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Mumbai laundry workers

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Row upon row of garments and linens are washed and air-dried at the Mahalaxmi laundry in Mumbai. Six workers each in 826 washing stalls means that nearly 5,000 people are employed here. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

A few of the hundreds of thousands of items that are washed and dried each day by the dhobi wallahs (laundry workers); their labor costs less than the machines that otherwise might replace them. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

A particular style of hat seems to be popular among some workers here. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

Scrub brush and soap attest to the fact that the work is done by hand. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

A dhobi washes an item the old-fashioned way by twisting and slapping it against a cement slab. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

Rajkumar Kanodjia, one of the dhobi wallahs, hangs up items he's just washed. He likes to sing as he works. Note the twisted clothesline, which eliminates the need for clothespins. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

A worker, foreground, spins water off clothing in a machine so it will dry faster. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

A worker scrubs the collar and cuffs of a pink button-down shirt. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

An old man who has worked here for decades sorts whites. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

This worker will labor all day washing clothing in the hot sun under a canopy of drying shirts. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff